Professor Layton fever spread from Konami to Namco Bandai. Famitsu announced a story based brainteaser game for the Nintendo DS called Treasure Report: The Mechanized Legacy.

Yukinori Kitajima, author of Okamiden and the critically acclaimed visual novel 428, created Treasure Report’s scenario. The story begins with the world looking for a wealthy man’s inheritance who left a fortune to find if you can solve his riddles. Newspaper reporter John Evans steps up to the challenge. He’s joined by rookie camerawoman Emily Smith, a mysterious boy named Nino and his dog Poochie.

Treasure Report: The Mechanized Legacy is divided into three parts: story, investigation, and puzzle solving. Famitsu explains the mystery is geared for adults and it has plenty of animated scenes to liven up the plot. In the investigation phase players use the stylus to inspect suspicious points. After you find clues you need to put them together and play with contraptions to solve puzzles. One puzzle has wheels inside of a triangle and it appears you have to turn them. Another puzzle has a cube to play with and there is a puzzle reminiscent of the letter lock seen in the Da Vinci Code.

Yasunori Mitsuda is composing the game’s music and Gurihiru studios is handling character design. Treasure Report: The Mechanized Legacy is slated for May 20 in Japan.

I hate this. I just hate this. Can nobody think of their own ideas anymore?
If Layton makes money I guess a shameless clone is easier for Konami and Namco then putting actual effort into their games. Even the story in this one sounds like a ripoff of Curious Village. -_-

M’iau M’iaut

Well, you know what is the sincerest form of flattery. Wouldn’t count out the writer of 428, which could mean more an adventure/puzzle game built around a story (think 999) rather than a loose story used as excuse to get to the next puzzle. Layton owes as much to VNs as Phoenix Wright does, so it’s the circle going round and round. A story geared for adults is also another thing that may separate it; much as it seems like Lautrec will be doing.

alundra311

This sounds interesting. Hopefully, more details and screenshots will be revealed soon.

Phlo

Wow, that’s not familiar at all. How do they sleep at night?

(Probably on pillows stuffed with money)

http://twitter.com/gabriel_may_uk Gabriel May

They don’t sleep. They’re too busy partying.

Guest

There was another DS Layton style adv game that came out a year or two ago featuring a detective and a boy sidekick. Forget the name of it though

Kris

Mitsuda AND the a mature storyline by the writer of 428? If this gets properly localized, it might surpass Layton. Here’s hoping Namco Bandai wants to take that risk or Aksys can pick it up!

https://twitter.com/#!/SplashdownTiger STiger

But what about XSEED?!

Kris

I’d love to see Xseed do it!
Aksys just seem like “the VN people” in my mind thanks to BlazBlue’s story, Jake Hunter, and 999. I guess I just sort of made a logical leap that this would be up the same alley :p

Icon

You might “hate” this, but you played Tekken after Virtua Fighter, Sonic after Mario and Metal Slug after Contra. Right? Besides, there’s some great talent behind this game. Mitsuda doing the music is great news to me.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_S2UKKIGGOA4V5EIFXAD7BQQOV4 Heehee

Include God Eater after Monster Hunter/Phantasy Star.

https://twitter.com/#!/SplashdownTiger STiger

And Lord of Ar– You know what, I can’t. That game is terrible.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_S2UKKIGGOA4V5EIFXAD7BQQOV4 Heehee

I love the game actually. I’ve spend countless hours on it.

https://twitter.com/#!/SplashdownTiger STiger

What universe are you living in where Contra came after Metal Slug?

alundra311

Umm… He didn’t say Contra came after Metal Slug. o_O

https://twitter.com/#!/SplashdownTiger STiger

Oh snap you’re right. I need sleep then. ‘NIGHT THEN!

Zero_Destiny

That’s awesome!!!! Glad to see that it seems the 3DS is going to keep up with the trend of awesome VN/point-and-click games. This is going to be so great. I’ll be able to get my fix because of games like these. :]

Joanna

But this is a DS game unlike Lautrec. Check the tags. ;)

joesz

That guy look exactly like Ishaan.

http://twitter.com/gabriel_may_uk Gabriel May

“…a mysterious boy named Nino…”

He’s dead and instead what you see is his ghost.

Mystery solved.

Joanna

But is the dog dead?! You haven’t solved it all yet! :P

http://www.ukanime.com abigsmurf

The name’s Poochie D.
And I rock the telly.
I’m half Joe Camel
and a third Fonzarelli.
I’m the kung-fu hippie.
From gangsta city.
I’m a rappin’ surfer.
You the fool I pity.

I hope this poochie has enough attitude, there’s a distinct lack of sunglasses in that art.

Are these really the types of games “adults” play (What age is adults in Japan). I hope to not become the type of adult that only wants to play puzzle~ish games with elements borrowed from the superior Bejeweled and “wheres Waldo” type gameplay elements.

PrinceHeir

Yasunori Mitsuda? damn i missed his Xenosaga Ep I music :D

will definitely be on a look out on this :P

Joanna

Is it wrong that I would pick up all the Layton rip-offs (Lautrec and this)? Because they actually sound pretty interesting. And brainteasers could be a gaming genre too~ :)

Although Treasure being a DS game means the chances of seeing it over here are very slim… :(

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